Ulf Wakenius - Vagabond (2012)

For a couple of years Wakenius has been the accompanist of his fellow ACT artist Youn Sun Nah. Since the Korean star singer lives in Paris the city has been a regular destination for him, and also a source of inspiration for Vagabond. In addition to guest appearances by Nguyên Lê and Youn Sun Nah (who performs a version of the Police classic Message in a Bottle with remarkable simplicity), it was Paris where he met the accordionist Vincent Peirani, an encounter which shaped the album. Peirani can be considered the rising star of the great French accordion tradition. On Vagabond he demonstrates that he has already found a unique style that works in different genres and perfectly fits Wakenius guitar. His accordion occasionally mimics the sound of a human voice, as heard most clearly on Breakfast in Baghdad - originally composed by Wakenius for Youn Sun Nah and featured on her album Same Girl (ACT 9024-2). On Vagabond it becomes apparent that as a globetrotter Wakenius is driven by curiosity for all sorts of good music and he proves himself as a truly versatile guitarist - from the French Bretagne and the Nordic and almost hymnal sounds of Psalmen by his friend and fellow musician Lars Danielsson, to archaic Native American tones of Jim Pepper s Witchi-Tai-To , and from the South American Chorinho to the Asian sounding Song For Japan . Wakenius sends the listener musical postcards from all over the world and merges them into a fascinating travel report. The album is also a family affair. For the first time Ulf Wakenius worked together in the studio with his son Eric, who is obviously following in his father s footsteps as a guitarist, as heard on the title song that they composed together. In addition, they perform Attila Zoller s wonderful Birds And Bees as a duet. Wakenius sums up by saying, It s the best album I have ever made.


Tracklist:

1.Vagabond (5:18)
2.Message In A Bottle (6:16)
3.Bretagne (5:01)
4.Psalmen (4:36)
5.Breakfast In Baghdad (6:35)
6.Song For Japan (3:21)
7.Birds And Bees (4:31)
8.Praying (3:54)
9.Chorinho (5:07)
10.Witchi-Tai-To (5:24)
11.Encore (2:54)

Personnel:

Ulf Wakenius: acoustic guitars, oud, chant
Vincent Peirani: accordion, accordina, voice
Lars Danielsson: bass, cello
Eric Wakenius: acoustic steel string guitar
Michael Dahlvid: darbuka, cajon
Youn Sun Nah: vocals
Nguyen Le: electric guitar